Corn-shelling device



W. T. CLARK,

CORN SHELLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED n0v.2o. 1919.

1,361,444, Patented m 7, 1920.

i ggmmwl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 'I. CLARK, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO T. W. WOOD 85 SONS, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A COPARTNERSHIP COMPOSED- 0F WILLIAM P. WOOD, THOMAS WHITTET, ROBERT W. WOOD, AND GORDON WOOD.

CORN-SHELLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

Application fil ed November 20, 1919. Serial No. 339,462.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. CLARK, a citizen of the United States residing at Richmond, in the county of I-Ienrico and State of Vir inia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Shelling Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to devices for removing the immature grains of corn from the ends of the cobs. Generally, only the mature grains of corn are use for seeding purposes, the defective grains being utilized as feed. It is, therefore, desirable to .remove the defective grains without severing the tip of the cob because to do this, removal of the defective grains from the short piece of cob is rendered inconvenient. Accordingly it is an object of the'present invention to provide a device with which substantially all the de festive grains may readily be removed from the cob without severing the tip of the latter and without injury to the grains to be used for seed.

Further objects are to make the device of simple but strong and durable construction and to construct it in such manner that the tip of the cob is visible to the operator at all times, thus insuring against injury to the seed grains when the defective grains are being removed.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of the device of the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the shelling device of the present invention comprises a head A which is preferably cylindrical in cross section, its intermediate portion a being of frusto-conical formation and its end portions a, a of somewhat reduced diameter. If desired, however, the head A may be made square in cross section, its intermediate portion being somewhat larger than its end portions. Rigidly secured to the enlarged portion a of the head A are a plurality of rigid arms or projections B, there being only four of these arms shown in the present instance although any desired number may be used. These arm's B are spaced circumferentially of the head A, being attached to the head at diametrically opposite points and, as they are mounted on the enlarged portion a of the head, their outer ends are spaced an appreciable distance from the axis of the head.

Pivotally attached to the reduced end portion a of the head, and extending therefrom in the same direction as the arms B, are a plurality of shelling blades C, said blades corresponding in number to the arms or projections. Each one of the shelling blades G is positioned inwardly from and in radial alinement with, one of said arms B, the four blades being adapted to engage the tip of an ear of corn inserted between them.

The shelling blades C normally occupy this position but, being pivoted on the head A, their outer free ends 0 are movable radially of the axis of the head when the tip of a cob is inserted between them. To yieldiugly resist this movement outwardly toward the arms B and to consequently hold the blades in contact with an ear of corn inserted between them, a screw D attached to each of the blades C extends through an aperture E in each of the arms B and has a small coil spring F mounted thereon between the blades and arms. The arms B being rigid, the springs F tend to force the blades inwardly toward one another and, by means of a wing nut G, on the ends of the screws D projecting beyond the arms B, the tension of the springs F may be adjusted and the blades C readily adjusted toward and away from the arms this adjustment being dependent upon the general size of the corn being operated upon.

To facilitate the insertion of the ears between the ends of the blades G into the cavity formed by the blades, and to give the ends a contour similar to that of the tips of the ears of corn, said ends are tapered as shown at 0. By having the arms B and the blades C each s aced apart and the space unobstructed, the operator can see the ear at all times so that all liability of the ear being inserted too far and the mature grains becoming injured is eliminated.

In operation the device .is adapted to be mounted on a driven, rotatable shaft, the head A being apertured as at H for the reception of the shaft to which the head may be secured by means of a set screw I. The

tip of the ear of corn having the defective grains thereon is inserted between the shelling blades C and due to the rotation of the head and blades those grains are removed, leaving only the mature grains which are afterward removed in any desired manner.

' If preferred, however, the device may be duced end portion of said head whereby,

their opposite ends are spaced inwardly from said projecting arms, and yieldable connections between the spaced ends of the blades and arms.

2. In a corn shelling device, the combination of the head, a plurality of shelling members each pivotally attached at one end to said head, a corresponding number of rigid arms secured to the head and projecting therefrom at an angle to the axis of the head whereby their outer ends are spaced radially outward from the free ends of the shelling members, and yieldable connections between the spaced ends of the arms and shelling members.

3. In a corn shelling machine, the combination of the head, a plurality of elongated shelling blades each pivotally attached at one end to said head and adapted to rotatably engage an ear of corn, a corresponding number of rigid arms projecting from the head and having their outer ends spaced transversely from the free ends of the shelling blades, and yieldable connections between the spaced ends of the arms and shelling blades.

4:. In a corn shelling device the combination of the head, a plurality of rigid arms secured to the head and projecting therefrom at an angle to the axis of the head, a corresponding number of shelling blades each pivoted at one end to the head, the free ends of said blades being spaced inwardly from said arms and tapered'to facilitate insertion of an ear of corn between them, means for yieldingly maintaining the ends of said blades and arms in spaced relation, and means for securing the head to an operating shaft.

5. In acorn shelling device the combination of the head, a plurality of rigid arms secured to the head and projecting therefrom at-an angle to the axis of the head, a corresponding number of shelling blades each pivoted at one end to said head and having their free ends spaced inwardly from the ends of the arms, there being a space between adjacent arms and adjacent shelling blades whereby an ear of corn inserted between the shelling blades is visible to the operator, and means for yieldingly maintaining the ends of the arms and blades in spaced relation.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of the head, said head having an enlarged tapered central portion and reduced end portions, the exterior surfaces of said end portions extending substantially parallel to the head, a plu-v rality of rigid arms secured to and projecting from the tapered portion of the head, a corresponding number of shelling blades secured at one end to the inner reduced portion of the head, and means for adjusting the free ends of said blades toward and away from said rigid arms.

WILLIAM T. CLARK. 

